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Todd McShay Names Best Quarterback Prospect After Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Jan 24, 2025 5:42 PM ET

Several teams near the top of the NFL Draft need new quarterbacks, and two names have been near the front of any discussion about the position this year.

Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders have set themselves apart as prospects, even if there's no consensus on who the better player is.

Ward and Shedeur, in some combination, are the consensus top two quarterbacks in this year's draft, and one top analyst has suggested that one player should be QB3.

"Just wrapped up two tapes on Jaxson Dart (LSU, SC ‘24). Neither were great stat-line gms and LSU was a loss, but a LOT of positive takeaways," said longtime draft analyst Todd McShay of The Ringer.

Just wrapped up two tapes on Jaxson Dart (LSU, SC ‘24). Neither were great stat-line gms and LSU was a loss, but a LOT of positive takeaways. His natural ball placement is underrated and he shows a lot of awareness on certain throws. Really excited to share more throughout Senior…
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) January 24, 2025

"His natural ball placement is underrated and he shows a lot of awareness on certain throws. Really excited to share more throughout Senior Bowl week, but don’t be surprised if Dart winds up as QB3 in this class!"

Dart has a few more months to raise his draft stock, but the former Ole Miss quarterback had the best season of his career in 2024.

Dart threw for 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns (both career highs) to only six interceptions, as Ole Miss finished the year with a 10-3 record. Dart capped off his college career with a huge game against Duke in the Gator Bowl, throwing for 404 yards and four touchdowns while winning MVP.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 30: Jaxson Dart #2 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates after being Penn State Nittany Lions during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

After spending one season at USC, Dart transferred to Ole Miss to join head coach Lane Kiffin. He improved his numbers each year with the Rebels and received first-team All-SEC honors this season.

Several teams near the top of the draft could consider drafting a quarterback, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants - the teams with the first three picks.

The top three picks have been quarterbacks three times in the common draft era, most recently in 2021 when Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were selected with the top three picks.

There's a lot of time between now and April, and players will rise and fall on draft boards for a variety of reasons. We'll see if history repeats itself this year, and if Dart is indeed the third quarterback taken.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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